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Press Release: Oliwood legislator Berman says new data supports "Driving Under Rain" bill

(FICTIONAL) PRESS RELEASE from the Office of (Fictional) State Senator Doogie Berman

(Fictional) Oliwood State Senator Doogie Berman was pleased to see the latest (real) data released this week by the US Department of Transportation, which reinforced his strong belief that tough criminal laws help to prevent and punish dangerous drivers and help to make citizens.  State Senator Berman was especially pleased to see these data and comments from the USDOT (real) press release:

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today released updated 2009 fatality and injury data showing that highway deaths fell to 33,808 for the year, the lowest number since 1950. The record-breaking decline in traffic fatalities occurred even while estimated vehicle miles traveled in 2009 increased by 0.2 percent over 2008 levels.

In addition, 2009 saw the lowest fatality and injury rates ever recorded: 1.13 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled in 2009, compared to 1.26 deaths for 2008....

“At the Department of Transportation, we are laser-focused on our top priority: safety,” said Secretary LaHood. “Today’s announcement shows that America’s roads are the safest they’ve ever been. But they must be safer. And we will not rest until they are.”...

According to a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) study based on 2006 Centers for Disease Control (CDC) data, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for those between the ages of 3 and 34....

“Today’s numbers reflect the tangible benefits of record seat belt use and strong anti-drunk driving enforcement campaigns,” said NHTSA Administrator David Strickland. “But we are still losing more than 30,000 lives a year on our highways, and about a third of these involve drunk driving. We will continue to work with our state partners to strictly enforce both seat belt use and anti-drunk driving laws across this nation, every day and every night.”

State Senator Berman expressed great disappointment that Oliwood was not listed as one of the 41 states that had reductions in fatalities last year, and he reiterated his view that his new "Driving Under Rain" bill would make Oliwood citizens safer.  State Senator Berman indicated that he was going to step up his advocacy for his DUR bill when the Oliwood state legislature meets this week.

Some data on drunk driving fatalities

This website has a lot of interesting statistics about driving fatalities and drunk-driving deaths in the United States over the past 25 years, including this helpful chart:

	Total fatalities	Alcohol related fatalities
Year	Number	Number	Percent
1982	43,945	26,173	60
1983	42,589	24,635	58
1984	44,257	24,762	56
1985	43,825	23,167	53
1986	46,087	25,017	54
1987	46,390	24,094	52
1988	47,087	23,833	51
1989	45,582	22,424	49
1990	44,599	22,587	51
1991	41,508	20,159	49
1992	39,250	18,290	47
1993	40,150	17,908	45
1994	40,716	17,308	43
1995	41,817	17,732	42
1996	42,065	17,749	42
1997	42,013	16,711	40
1998	41,501	16,673	40
1999	41,717	16,572	40
2000	41,945	17,380	41
2001	42,196	17,400	41
2002	43,005	17,524	41
2003	42,643	17,013	40
2004	42,518	16,919	39
2005	43,443	16,885	39
2006	42,532	15,829	37